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As is customary with most Silva bouts, this one got off to a slow start as the two inventive strikers sized one another up in the opening two minutes. But as the pace picked up in the first round, it was Adesanya who was the more aggressive and the more effective fighter, wobbling Silva with a short right at one point and opening up with an array of kicks that kept the former champ on the defensive.

In the second frame, however, Silva began to find his groove. Pressing in close, he trapped Adesanya against the fence, attacking in the clinch at one point and stinging him with a lead right at another.

Adesanya seemed to retake control of the fight in the third, targeting Silva’s swollen right eye and mixing up the strikes from distance. Still, neither man could seize a truly decisive advantage, with Silva remaining always just dangerous enough to give Adesanya pause even when his offense seemed on the verge of picking up momentum.

After three close rounds, the fight headed to the judges, all three of whom gave the fight to Adesanya, turning in scorecards of 29-28, 30-27, and 30-27.

With the win, Adesanya remains perfect as an MMA fighter. Silva has now lost five of his last seven.